


Pain

by Sa_forever



Series: Writetober 2019 [6]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Bad Wolf, Gen, Hint of - Freeform, Post-Episode: s01e08 Father's Day, Whump, Whumptober 2019, blink and you miss it - Freeform, headache, possible fixit fic, writetober 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-11
Updated: 2019-10-11
Packaged: 2020-12-09 01:41:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20986715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sa_forever/pseuds/Sa_forever
Summary: Theoretically goes before the story "Schnee Decke"Immediately following the events of "Father's Day" the Doctor gets hit with timeline backlash he's been holding off to save the world. (i.e. headache/migraine)





	Pain

**Author's Note:**

> I maaay have written this in the wake of a really awful headache of mine.  
Prompts used to construct this story but may not explicitly make it in:  
Hands/ Quiet Night/ Excitement/ Stitches

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He's finally back in the TARDIS. Rose is comforting her dying father as originally intended, and he—his mental shields fail with a terrible crash.

The backlash from a fixed point in time being altered, the faded connection with the TARDIS, the reapers and then being _eaten_ by said reapers: it all hits his head. The disastrous outcomes, trying to save Pete Tyler... the frayed and broken timelines flay his brain.

He's nominally held up by his legs and the TARDIS doors.

There's a terrible noise of a broken animal, a broken whine wending around the TARDIS and it's him. He'll steadfastly refer to it as a manly groan when his head is no longer trying to split in half.

Half the headache has taken up residence as a piercing pain right between his eyebrows. The other half has made a home, stabbing an ache at the base of his neck in tempo with time's fluctuations. They're both slowly spreading up his head, and then down his shoulders.

Were he less coherent, he'd be trying to slam himself into something, trying to relieve the ache. Anything to stop the spreading pain.

This is the worst it's been since the end of the Time War-

The TARDIS gently interjects with a low hum and a 'ting' as a full syringe is plunked down on the floor in front of him.

“Oh bless you TARDIS.”

It'll at least take the edge off. What he really needs is the zero room.

He slowly crouches down, unwilling to shift his blood pressure and possibly make the pain worse.

With utter relief and a whimper, he stabs himself. Ever so slowly, the pain recedes back to a manageable level, and he can start thinking about things other than how to keep the pain at bay for another couple minutes so he can save the day or locate his blondering companion.

It's a sobering. He's an idiot for going back that second time. He should never have taken her in the first place. He _knows_ what humans are like when confronted with loss! ...But he seems to have trouble saying no to a certain pair of hazel eyes.

He can do anything, him, but that doesn't mean he should.

With the explosive racket of his head calmed down to as quiet as it'll get, he switches attention to scanning the timeline and searching for traces left over by the reapers that'll prove a problem. (As quiet as it is, there's still too much chaos from the bombardment to make out the world with any clarity)

What he finds is bit time loop-esque. Rickey the idiot, a coward from trauma he doesn't remember. Jackie still tells the story of Pete, but with slightly more comfort. Rose still asks to see her dad.

The world fills in the holes, like re-painting a wall, till you can't tell the difference from the old. But there is one disconcerting change. The Americans don't reach the moon till 1970. Odd, that.

No harm to the timeline, just bloody odd. It actually seems to fit better than the 1969 timeline.

Little twists of the timeline nestle down in their places, like dogs twisting and turning, but finally settling down for rest.

A final scan shows no more evidence of reapers, the wound cauterizing itself with finality.

With no more signs of threat, he pilots the TARDIS closer, to pick up Rose.

Fully materialized, it's seconds before Rose is running in, panic and worry on her face.

“You're safe!” she forces out, before throwing herself at him.

He catches her in a hug, though Rose's personal timelines snarl at him initially, racing across his aching time senses like a wild predator.

It takes him a moment to realize that the shuddering isn't just relief, but crying.

“Shhh. It's okay, Rose. Everything's alright now.”

Gradually, he senses both his and her neurotransmitters take an uptick as she settles down and the embrace goes on. Humans need human touch. Helps keep their oxytocin and seratonin and vasopressin all at healthy levels. It seems like his regeneration might have gone a bit sideways as well, benefiting from the touch of her hands. Well, more hugs seems to be in order, then.

They both start leaning away at the same time, and he tries to paste a convincing smile on his face. There's a stab of pain as the pain relief wears off though, and it turns out more like a grimace.

Rose is looking worried again now, and the Doctor interrupts before she can throw herself into a panic again.

“Just sore, Rose. Why don't you go take a bath and I'll set us in the vortex for now. Tomorrow we'll take a slow day. Doctor's orders.”

She rolls her eyes at that one, but concedes for now.

“Alright. I'll see you later then?”

“Yep.”

“Okay.” She smiles hesitantly. “I'll- I'll cook some pancakes for us later, yeah?”

“So long as you don't burn any this time.” He forces a smirk.

“Oi! That was only one time!”

The pain is starting to seep back in. He really needs to end this conversation soon, so he can get them into the vortex and himself to the zero room.

“I'll see you later Rose.” he restates.

“Alright... later.” She's slowly moving towards the hallway, but stops right before and turns to look at him again. “I really am sorry Doctor.”

“I know, Rose.”

She's out of the console room and he moves as fast as he dares to send them off to the vortex before his legs can decide to leave the party. There's a hum, and the TARDIS has brought the zero room right to the edge of the console room.

“You're magnificent,” he utters, and staggers into the zero room.

**Author's Note:**

> Fixed point + breaking of the fixed point= aggravated, in pain, Doctor. I am now convinced of this.  
10 mentioned the fixed point of Jack just being WRONG.. but can you imagine the alarms and chaos in his head when the weak/fixed point of Pete's Death is smash to smithereens and then you got reapers! And since this is 9 who regenerated in the aftermath of obliterating the Time Lords from reality? I feel like his brain would be pre-bruised. Hence, headache/migraine of incapacitating effect.


End file.
